Have you ever wanted to see Donald Duck try his best to get tail feathers ruffled for a good 2/3rds of a movie before? Well, 1944’s The Three Caballeros is the film for you. You heard me right, for a good portion of this movie Donald is chasing women around south of the border.
The Three Caballeros is probably a more known in title than Saludos Amigos, and I’m sure that more than a handful of people think of them as the same movie, but being films about Latin America is pretty much where the similarities end (besides sharing Donald Duck and Jose Carioca). Where Saludos Amigos showcases the continent of South America during a goodwill tour with the Disney Artist, The Three Caballeros follow the complex storyline of Donald Duck opening birthday presents sent to him his pals in Latin America.
The feature starts simple enough with 2 short films; The Cold-Blooded Penguin, a cute story of a Penguin named Pablo from Argentina looking for warmer weather and The Flying Guachito , where a little boy from Uruguay races his winged donkey named Burrito. Caballeros really kicks in when Jose Carioca burst onto the scene with a rousing samba number in the Brazilian state of Baia. As Jose talks about the coastal state his silhouette is bathed in this gorgeous, warm pink light and we dip our toes in the pond of Surreal Land. There is a fantastic part of the sequence where a 2 man dance becomes a cock fight and back again. It is a great example of what I love most about animation, it is art in motion.
Upon returning from Baia Panchito Pistoles, a rooster representing Mexico, is introduced and we are treated to the Mexican celebration of Las Posadas via still paintings by Mary Blair. It’s quiet, it’s beautiful, and it’s touching. Then from here on out Donald Duck is in full horn dog mode as he tours Mexico on a magic Sarape! There is some really great Animation/Live action mixing in the sequences where the Caballeros learn about regional Mexican dances, which is odd since I’m pretty sure that Baia was not mixed, but the live actors were acting in front of a screen with the animation projected on it. Donald Dances with Women Patzuaro, he dances with women in Veracruz, and then he chases SEVERAL women on what seems to be the beaches of Acapulco but is most obviously a soundstage in some angles.
Donald seemingly falls in love with a singer representing the stars of Mexico and our foot now firmly planted in the Surreal Ocean. Donald moves his affection to a strange dancing flower woman hybrid and then falls for a Mexican woman conducting dancing cacti with her rider’s crop. Jose and Panchito join in the finale in an explosion of color and firecrackers.
The character animation in this one is fast and loose, almost Looney Toonsian. It’s a whole lot of fun to see them go off the animated rails a little but the very little story in it is a bit too fragmented. Are we watching an educational travelogue? Are we watching a cast of zany characters running around south of the border? Are we watching Donald Duck sow his wild oats whilst on a break from Daisy? What we do get is some really great imagery and fantastic music.
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